40 



Birds of Pennsylvania. 



Genus BARTRAMm Lksson. 

 261. Bartramia longicauda (Bechst.). 



Bartramian Sanclpipei-. 



Dksokiption. 



Bill about as lonj? as the head, rather wide and flattened at base, curved at the tip ; 

 nostril with a large inenibrane; nasal groove long; wing long; tail long for this 

 group; legs moderate or rather long; lower half of the tibia naked ; toes moderate, 

 the outer and middle toe united by a membrane, inner and middle free to the base, 

 hind toe small ; general color of the upper parts brownisli-black, with a greenish 

 lustre, and with the feathers edged with ashy-white and yellowish, the latter espe- 

 cially on the wing coverts; lower part of the back, rump, and upper tail coverts, 

 brownish-black ; lateral coverts of the tail yellowish-white, with arrow-heads and 

 irregular spots of black ; wide stripe over the eye, and entire under parts very pale 

 yellowish-white, nearly pure-white on tlie abdomen; neck before with numerous 

 longitudinal lines of brownish-black; breast and sides with waved and pointed 

 transverse narrow liand of the same ; axillary feathers and under wing coverts pure- 

 white, with numerous nearly regular transverse narrow l)ands of black ; rpiills 

 brownish-black, with numerous transverse bands of white on their inner webs, very 

 conspicuous on the under surface of the wing; sliaft of tir.st primary white; middle 

 feathers of the tail same greenish-brown as the back, with irregulai- and imperfect 

 transverse bands of black ; outer feathers pale reddish-yellow, edged and tipped 

 with white, and with several irregular transverse bands and a large sub-terminal 

 arrow-head of black; bill greenish-yellow, with the under mandible more clear j'cl- 

 low towards its base, tip and ridge brownish-black ; legs light-yellow ; toes darker ; 

 iris brown. 



Total length, about 12 inches ; wing, G^ ; tail, 3i inches. 



Hah. — Eastern North America, north to Nova Scotia and Alaska, breeding through- 

 out its North American range ; migrating in winter southward, as far even as south- 

 ern South America. Occasional in Europe. 



This bird, known to sportsmen as Field or (i-rass Plover, is a com- 

 mon native in Pennsylvania. It arrives here usually about April 20. 

 This species resides during the breeding period in grass-fields and 

 highlands. In this i:)articular it differs from other birds of its family. 

 Nests on the ground; eggs, three to four and spotted. In xlugust, 

 when the young are amply able to fly, the Plovers collect in flocks 

 and frequent the fields and meadows. By the la^t of September, but 

 few of the species are found in the interior, as they appear to soon 

 leave the breeding-grounds and migrate towards the sea-coast and 



large tide rivers. 



Food. 



♦Young birds. 



